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With a dismissive scoff, I roll in the opposite direction, avoiding any further conversation. With a sense of contentment, I drift off to sleep and am grateful for the companionship that banishes the echoes of laughter that have plagued me for countless nights.
Chapter Fourteen
Micah
Itake my time walking back to the cabin with two small Northern pikes in my hand. I’ve spent most of my time at the river for the past two days, and Naomi has only been awake for a fraction of that time. She’s been fighting a fever and moaning in her sleep. Twice, I thought she was dead, and twice, I thought about killing her myself and putting her out of her misery. Once last night and once this morning.
I was so close… if she only knew.
London is back with Jade. I’m not entirely sure, but I have a strong feeling that’s where she would have gone, and just thinking about it makes me fucking furious. I stared at her footprints for an hour, playing out what could have happened—how she got free and how she knew where to go after repeatedly warning her not to leave. All signs now confirm that she’s gone. She practically screamed that she didn’t want to be here anymore, and I ignored her.
But deep down, I knew—I fucking knew. That’s why I tied her up.
I’ve been tempted to go and see for myself, but with Naomi’s condition worsening, I couldn’t bring myself to leave for longer than a couple of hours. She’ll die if I do. I also can’t leave her alone with my food and supplies because I don’t fucking trust her, which leaves me in quite the predicament.
I stride to the firepit, grab my knife, drop to my knees, and stab the fish in the eye, gutting it. As I cook, I sit back and wait, playing with the tip of my bone weapon, letting it pierce my flesh and watching as the blood trickles down my skin.
The unsettling part isn’t the choices I’m contemplating; it’s the fact that I’m unbothered by them. Once the thought of killing Naomi entered my mind, it became impossible to erase. It proves that the darkness within me has always existed, and right now, my only connection to humanity revolves around one person.
London.
She is always the one keeping me sane, even if she doesn’t realize it. And Naomi is merely in the way. A problem easily solved.
Eventually, I head inside. I push open the door to the cabin and step inside, staring at Naomi. My emotions are hollow—a dark void somewhere deep within—and I can’t be bothered to find them. Naomi hasn’t moved since I left her, sleeping soundly like a lamb to the slaughter. Her blonde hair is splayed out on the bed, combed and clean because I made it that way.
Fucking helpless.
Goddammit.
My dick gets excited thinking about the times I’ve fucked London right in this spot, as helpless as this girl in front of me who’s moaning in her sleep, and how much I enjoyed London being just as needy.
My groin tightens, and I slide in next to Naomi, checking her fever. I keep my distance and control these intense urges I have as I watch her chest rise and fall in my bed, fantasizing about what it would feel like to take the air from her lungs while simultaneously thinking about fucking her. I’m fully aware of how messed up that is.
I remind myself I’m only turned on because I’m used to getting my dick sucked daily, and right now, the wrong fucking girl is in my bed, even if she’s slowly becoming my backup plan.
Fuck, London. Where are you, baby?
I fall asleep quickly, even though it’s the afternoon. I usually don’t like to waste the daylight hours by sleeping, but I’m fucking tired and clearly not thinking straight.
My eyes shoot open a little while later. My mind is fuzzy, my body alert. I was asleep—a deep fucking sleep—which rarely happens. I can tell Naomi is awake, even without looking, because her energy has shifted. Her head is propped on her hand, and her big brown eyes are scrutinizing me. Her pupils are dilated, but she’s more aware than she’s been since I found her. I turn to face her, seeing she’s been awake for a while.
Her fever broke, and beads of sweat pool over her forehead. I arch my brows, not letting her know she has rattled me. It was so careless to fall asleep without realizing she was awake and alert like this. She could have done anything she wanted to me, and I would have been powerless to stop her.
She parts her lips. “What are you going to do with me now, Micah?” she asks in a tone that’s equally sexual and hostile. She’s wary, as she should be. I don’t recognize myself anymore, either.
I keep my voice even, trying not to scare her yet. “I’m not going to do anything with you right now, Naomi.” Her lips tilt upward, and her eyes flash. Clearly, she’s enjoying this and has no idea that London is the only reason she’s still breathing.
“Why did you bring me here, then?”
I roll over her, pressing my hands on either side of her, and keep my body a healthy distance away. “You’re not going to be the one asking questions, Naomi. Where are Nigel and Ezra? How long had you been away from them when I found you?”
She pauses for a moment before answering, probably thinking long and hard about whether she wants to lie to me right now. “One day, as soon as the weather broke, I left him.”
At the same time I left London. What are the fucking odds?
“Stop fucking lying, Naomi. Is London with them? Why did you leave them?”
A massive knot forms in my stomach. What if I’m wrong, and I missed something? What if London isn’t with Jade… and she’s been with Ezra and Nigel these last few days? I could never forgive myself for choosing to help Naomi. What if London covered her tracks well enough, then something happened in the forest?
